Have you ever tried working out or started an exercise program only to tell yourself you’ll keep your diet the same?

A few years ago I completed a Beachbody program called Hammer and Chisel to less than stellar results. I worked hard for several weeks, only to be disappointed with my results. I know my strength, muscle tone, and cardio fitness improved, but it was hard to look at my “after” picture and see a transformation I could be proud of.

This was because I did not change my diet. I made small modifications like cutting calorie intake slightly, but for the most part I thought I could keep my regular diet and still get great results…big mistake.

It wasn’t until I made this mistake that I realized I not only cheated myself and the integrity of the workout program, but wasted my time. Sure I was in better shape, but without visual evidence of progress, completing this program felt hollow.

​The problem was, years prior to that, when starting a new workout program I taught myself basic meal prep. However, this meal prep consisted of cooking a bunch of chicken breasts and hard boiled eggs on Sunday and eating the chicken with microwavable vegetables and salt and pepper on my chicken.

After weeks of bland chicken I lost weight and gained muscle with that workout program, but was so turned off from my boring concept of meal prep that I totally ignored it for Hammer and Chisel.

So,,,lessons learned was that meal prep is absolutely essential for a healthy lifestyle, especially with an active lifestyle. It enhances your nutrients and just as important, keeps your diet fun and interesting.​Below are our favorite meal prep resources that not only provide healthy options, but a variety of delicious choices that will never leave you bored.

​Greatist

Greatist is one of the best sites for meal prep information. With a variety of differentrecipes and guides, from 30 minute meals to "one pan" recipes, this site has becomeone of our favorite meal prep resources.

​​Eazy Peazy Mealz

Its actually hard to find genuine meal prep sites that use their ownrecipes. Most sites simply repost recipes and pictures from other sitesand claim it as their own. Eazy Peazy Mealz is the real deal, with a variety of recipes that are both delicious and simple.

​Yummy Healthy Easy

Similar to Eazy Peazy Mealz, this site created by Jen Nickolaus has some great recipes that are original, healthyand delicious. We've made a variety of her recipes and they're all delicious. Her baked lime chicken bowl meal prep recipe is great and something I always come back to for its simplicity. She has a vareity of recipes on thesite that can be used for regular meals or meal prep.

Beachbody Meal Prep

A lot of what we do on this site comes back to Beachbody, and for good reason, They not only have awesome workouts, but great supplements and nutrition information. Beachbody simplified the concept of calorie counting with the introductionof their colored, portion-control containers, which have transformed how people lose weight, gain muscle, and eat healthy.The following page on meal prep provides a great visual of healthy eating, with some delicious recipes, and anintroduction to their portion control calorie concept.

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Jar Of Lemons

Jar of lemons is another great site that provides genuine recipes, meal prep ideas, and fitness information. Written and managed by blogger Christine, Jar Of Lemons is another staple of ours for some great meal prep ideas. From paleo slow cooker jerk chicken, to vegan chickpea and sweet potato bowls, this site keepsus coming back for its delicious and unique meal prep recipes.